At present, passenger monitoring and directing systems installed in modern commercial aircraft comprise at least one information means, such as for example an exit sign, which is arranged in an aircraft cabin, and at least one camera for monitoring the aircraft cabin. In these systems, the information means and the camera are in each case provided as separate components arranged at different positions in the aircraft cabin. As a result of the fact that the camera is installed as a separate apparatus in the aircraft cabin, the camera is visually conspicuous and it is obvious to passengers that they are being observed. Owing to the visual conspicuousness, such camera apparatuses are also susceptible to destruction by passengers who do not wish to be observed.
In the case of the cameras used hitherto, which are installed as separate apparatuses in different modules in the cabin, the installation site at which the camera is to be installed in the cabin must be taken into account even during the design of the cameras. Consequently, the cameras, which are to be installed for example in the cockpit door, in the crew rest compartment, in partition walls or door frame coverings, are subject to varying structural requirements, which increases their manufacturing cost. Furthermore, owing to the arrangement of the cameras separately from other safety-related components, such as information signs and loudspeakers, extra cable routes to the module and inside the module in which the camera is installed are necessary.
An improved safety system with regard to the number and arrangement of components is already known from the field of building safety engineering. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,866 B1 describes the combined design of emergency lighting and an illuminated emergency exit sign in one apparatus. This combined design of emergency lighting and emergency exit sign has the result that safety-related upgrading of buildings and also maintenance of the safety system are simplified.
Through the combination apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,866 B1, two apparatuses are simply joined together in one housing, in order to share their essential elements, such as lighting means and batteries.
A solution to the aforementioned problems of present-day passenger monitoring and directing systems for use in an aircraft cabin is, however, not offered by this combination apparatus either.